Driving the C7 in Germany
03-23-2014, 05:14 AM
#1
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Location: American in Germany 1 Hour to the ring fast
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Driving the C7 in Germany
I have been excited about the C-7 since Pre-Launch thanks to some people at Corvette/Corvette Europe I was lucky to spend a couple hours behind the wheel of the C-7
I drove a couple hours on autobahn roads to meet the Gentleman in charge of Corvette/Cadillac in Europe. He is a race driver himself and is very involved with the team adjusting the car for European roads and speeds which are very different from those in the US.
I examined the red test car that was used by the British test against the Jaguar V-8 and the 991 C4S. I sat in the competition seats and was amazed that a big guys rear will fit, In fact I think it may have more shoulder room than the GT seats.
We then took out the Driver, a C7 with 20K, Z51 LT3 Etc. It was adjusted for European Roads, I believe tweeks to the steering and the MR settings were most of it. We have had a mild winter in Germany, but the car was used as a daily driver and had Michelin Snow high speed tires on it. It was 55 plus fahrenheit and sunny. After owning a C-6 Z51 for a short time and driving a friends Z06 at Spa I am somewhat familiar with Corvettes.
Now, for the road, my host drove first, and showed me how the modes worked. the quality of the fit and finish is now 9/10 what it is on my 2010 997, infact I was surprised as to how good it really was.( and this was a Pre/Early production car. It is tighter, more purposeful than anything I had seen from GM. the Passengers area for a large 6'1 250 guy was not bad, I don't intend to spend a lot of time there. the seat was very very good. I would have no problem with a few hours in these. My host took the car well past 100 and showed me how the drivers modes really worked to make the car easier for the driver to control. Sideways the car was rock stable, no wierd feelings of instability when skidding across uneven, or rough pavement which was prevalent in the C-6 chassis.
When It came time for me to drive It was easy to sit down, adjust and go.The shifter is AMAZING compared to any Corvette I had ever driven, the feel and throw were on par with my 997S or the 335I Sport my wife drives. In pulling out in traffic its easy to see and maneuver. The steering is so precise the car goes where you point it, period ( and this was on Winter tires?) for a couple hours of Autobahns ramps city and back roads, curves and traffic even without pushing the car way too hard. I did manage to get it to 160MPh on the Autobahn and in Touring I could drive with it there all day. The car is amazingly adaptable to city driving with no issues just reacting to mopeds, street cars, and little old ladies with shopping carts walking home from the market. The new C-7 is a drivers car. It has controllable understeer, and with Mag ride will take autobahn speeds with the comfort of an S-Class MB. The 4 Cyl mode was almost undetectable and the fuel economy is good for a V-8 sports car. The steering is more precise than my 997 and that's saying something. I do not know how to convey the difference to you. it goes where you point it !!! at least as well as anything from BMW, Porsche Audi or the Japanese ( haven't Driven a Ferrari lately but they are buying Mag ride from GM)
The C-7 is no longer the Ugly American ( referring to tourists that visit from the states and act a fool). It fits. It drives like it was designed for these smaller roads, It is no longer hard to control and obnoxious,
It is fun to drive, Easy to operate in traffic, and polite. It does'nt wear you out driving it, shifting and pushing the clutch in. The display is easy to read, Controls well laid out and oh so much fun to get a bit wild in. Or a lot wild in ( that will wait for next time )
The Corvette team is a smaller group of incredibly dedicated guys who know they are the underdogs. They don't spend tons of money doing Ring times sector by sector. If it works when they are testing they set one. There are only just over a hand full of cars in Europe ( the saleable ones are on boats I believe) and these cars are getting incredible reviews. The Corvette can be a much larger player here than ever before.
The C-7 stingray is no longer the ugly American tourist it once was. Its a true sports car now not a muscle car that can handle a corner. Its easier to drive than any Corvette before it. The ride home in my 997S was fast
at the same speeds as the C-7, I realized how close they are and to be honest the storage room and Price of the C-7 are enticing. The fact that GM won't void my warranty when I track the car is more than I have seen with Porsche.
In Europe, Mobil 1 oil is 22Euros a quart, Gas is around $8 a gallon at last weeks exchange rate so we are talking a difference in expense to operate
The Exchange rate puts a Corvette at $90K us plus with taxes
I will add this, the Z51 and MAG RIDE are amazing I see why the demand is so high, It is like driving three different cars. at 160MPH is absorbs the road so well and yet allows the precision you need. DOnt even think about it buy it !!
To Harlan, Patrick, Tadge and the rest of the Corvette guys thank you !!!
I proud to have us put the Ugly American Image away.
Proud to be an American
Lets hope the Deal I have on the Laguna Blue 3LT Z51 MR, NPP gets done quickly so I can drive my own
Some info about me: I do a few driving events in Germany and have in the family here. a Porsche 997S a 993S a BMW Z4M and a 335I convertible. I also have been involved in Porsche HPDE and restoration for 25 years and have cars going back to the 50s,60s and 70s which have become insanely valuable ( I am not complaining ) anybody having a 70s or 80s 911 I am buying !!. I have been on the Pit crew at Daytona, and supercup races. the 24 hr at the ring, Spa etc. I am a decent driver, and I enjoy it Its my hobby. I have friends at Porsche and have been in the new 991GT3 the 997 Gt3RS and in several supercup cars. I have written articles for two Porsche magazines, and will never give up some of the Porsches until I am reclaimed by my maker
I have no Issue with the Porsche trolls here, I invited Guibo to spend a day with me in Stuttgart even driving my 997S here ( he Declined ) Porsche is a great car but they are way too expensive, some of you may have caught the 23K euros/$$ the company makes on every car sold
I drove a couple hours on autobahn roads to meet the Gentleman in charge of Corvette/Cadillac in Europe. He is a race driver himself and is very involved with the team adjusting the car for European roads and speeds which are very different from those in the US.
I examined the red test car that was used by the British test against the Jaguar V-8 and the 991 C4S. I sat in the competition seats and was amazed that a big guys rear will fit, In fact I think it may have more shoulder room than the GT seats.
We then took out the Driver, a C7 with 20K, Z51 LT3 Etc. It was adjusted for European Roads, I believe tweeks to the steering and the MR settings were most of it. We have had a mild winter in Germany, but the car was used as a daily driver and had Michelin Snow high speed tires on it. It was 55 plus fahrenheit and sunny. After owning a C-6 Z51 for a short time and driving a friends Z06 at Spa I am somewhat familiar with Corvettes.
Now, for the road, my host drove first, and showed me how the modes worked. the quality of the fit and finish is now 9/10 what it is on my 2010 997, infact I was surprised as to how good it really was.( and this was a Pre/Early production car. It is tighter, more purposeful than anything I had seen from GM. the Passengers area for a large 6'1 250 guy was not bad, I don't intend to spend a lot of time there. the seat was very very good. I would have no problem with a few hours in these. My host took the car well past 100 and showed me how the drivers modes really worked to make the car easier for the driver to control. Sideways the car was rock stable, no wierd feelings of instability when skidding across uneven, or rough pavement which was prevalent in the C-6 chassis.
When It came time for me to drive It was easy to sit down, adjust and go.The shifter is AMAZING compared to any Corvette I had ever driven, the feel and throw were on par with my 997S or the 335I Sport my wife drives. In pulling out in traffic its easy to see and maneuver. The steering is so precise the car goes where you point it, period ( and this was on Winter tires?) for a couple hours of Autobahns ramps city and back roads, curves and traffic even without pushing the car way too hard. I did manage to get it to 160MPh on the Autobahn and in Touring I could drive with it there all day. The car is amazingly adaptable to city driving with no issues just reacting to mopeds, street cars, and little old ladies with shopping carts walking home from the market. The new C-7 is a drivers car. It has controllable understeer, and with Mag ride will take autobahn speeds with the comfort of an S-Class MB. The 4 Cyl mode was almost undetectable and the fuel economy is good for a V-8 sports car. The steering is more precise than my 997 and that's saying something. I do not know how to convey the difference to you. it goes where you point it !!! at least as well as anything from BMW, Porsche Audi or the Japanese ( haven't Driven a Ferrari lately but they are buying Mag ride from GM)
The C-7 is no longer the Ugly American ( referring to tourists that visit from the states and act a fool). It fits. It drives like it was designed for these smaller roads, It is no longer hard to control and obnoxious,
It is fun to drive, Easy to operate in traffic, and polite. It does'nt wear you out driving it, shifting and pushing the clutch in. The display is easy to read, Controls well laid out and oh so much fun to get a bit wild in. Or a lot wild in ( that will wait for next time )
The Corvette team is a smaller group of incredibly dedicated guys who know they are the underdogs. They don't spend tons of money doing Ring times sector by sector. If it works when they are testing they set one. There are only just over a hand full of cars in Europe ( the saleable ones are on boats I believe) and these cars are getting incredible reviews. The Corvette can be a much larger player here than ever before.
The C-7 stingray is no longer the ugly American tourist it once was. Its a true sports car now not a muscle car that can handle a corner. Its easier to drive than any Corvette before it. The ride home in my 997S was fast
at the same speeds as the C-7, I realized how close they are and to be honest the storage room and Price of the C-7 are enticing. The fact that GM won't void my warranty when I track the car is more than I have seen with Porsche.
In Europe, Mobil 1 oil is 22Euros a quart, Gas is around $8 a gallon at last weeks exchange rate so we are talking a difference in expense to operate
The Exchange rate puts a Corvette at $90K us plus with taxes
I will add this, the Z51 and MAG RIDE are amazing I see why the demand is so high, It is like driving three different cars. at 160MPH is absorbs the road so well and yet allows the precision you need. DOnt even think about it buy it !!
To Harlan, Patrick, Tadge and the rest of the Corvette guys thank you !!!
I proud to have us put the Ugly American Image away.
Proud to be an American
Lets hope the Deal I have on the Laguna Blue 3LT Z51 MR, NPP gets done quickly so I can drive my own
Some info about me: I do a few driving events in Germany and have in the family here. a Porsche 997S a 993S a BMW Z4M and a 335I convertible. I also have been involved in Porsche HPDE and restoration for 25 years and have cars going back to the 50s,60s and 70s which have become insanely valuable ( I am not complaining ) anybody having a 70s or 80s 911 I am buying !!. I have been on the Pit crew at Daytona, and supercup races. the 24 hr at the ring, Spa etc. I am a decent driver, and I enjoy it Its my hobby. I have friends at Porsche and have been in the new 991GT3 the 997 Gt3RS and in several supercup cars. I have written articles for two Porsche magazines, and will never give up some of the Porsches until I am reclaimed by my maker
I have no Issue with the Porsche trolls here, I invited Guibo to spend a day with me in Stuttgart even driving my 997S here ( he Declined ) Porsche is a great car but they are way too expensive, some of you may have caught the 23K euros/$$ the company makes on every car sold
Last edited by Gmumd48; 03-23-2014 at 05:25 AM.
03-23-2014, 06:07 AM
#2
Thanks for the great review. I love hearing opinions from other countries on American cars. Its nice to know that there are more Europeans other than Richard Hammond who like Corvettes. I keep hoping Sabine Schmitz takes one on the Ring hehe
You mentioned you had it going 160 in Tour mode. It didnt seem too floaty for you? Maybe its just my lack of confidence of my skills but I always try to be in at least Sport mode when going over 100
I hope your Laguna Blue shows up soon! Thanks again for the write up
You mentioned you had it going 160 in Tour mode. It didnt seem too floaty for you? Maybe its just my lack of confidence of my skills but I always try to be in at least Sport mode when going over 100
I hope your Laguna Blue shows up soon! Thanks again for the write up
03-23-2014, 09:28 AM
#3
Le Mans Master
Thanks for your review.
03-23-2014, 10:08 AM
#5
The steering is more precise than my 997 and that's saying something.
Sideways the car was rock stable, no wierd feelings of instability when skidding
across uneven, or rough pavement which was prevalent in the C-6 chassis.
across uneven, or rough pavement which was prevalent in the C-6 chassis.
03-23-2014, 02:44 PM
#6
Racer
Thread Starter
Member Since: Oct 2006
Location: American in Germany 1 Hour to the ring fast
Posts: 476
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Thanks the Steering on the Euro Version maybe set differently
03-23-2014, 03:04 PM
#7
Team Owner
I'm half German (my mom was born in Karlsruhe) and would absolutely love to return there one day with my car (although I'm going there in September to visit family). I was there in 2010 drove the Nurburgring and went to the Paris Auto Show (it switches every year between Paris and Frankfurt) and nothing would make me happier than to tour Europe in my C7.
